When hope is all that you have left
by HeartyJessica
Summary: After the unexpected return of the wraith, the expedition has to submerge the city and leave due to lack of power. As they're evacuating the expedition members become seperated. Now the remaining few have to pull together and find a ZPM to get back home.
1. Reason for Silence

**When hope is all that you have left**

**Disclaimer: The characters of this story do not belong to me. I don't own Atlantis.**

**Title: When hope is all that you have**

There had always been that awkward silence between them. Each never knowing what to say, never knowing how to fill in the silence with words of comfort or reassurance. There had always been that awkward silence between them after the incident. After the Wraith came that one last time. It was a surprise to them all. No one was expecting them to show up after three years of peace. Everyone knew it was wishful thinking, but they had just begun to believe that the Wraith had just forgotten about them. They were far from right. By the time Rodney discovered their mistake it was too late. The Wraith were upon them, and their numbers were beyond imaginable. Atlantis had no chance. Rodney and Zelenka discovered that they could submerge the city, but there was one problem. The ZPM didn't have enough power to sustain the city while it was fully functional and submerged. They would have to set the city to slumber, set a timer for it to submerge after they left, and evacuate everyone out until they could come back to Atlantis. All they could do was hope the city would survive and evacuate.

With only ten puddle jumpers and the gate, it wasn't too difficult, if only some of the Atlanteans had been more cooperative. Especially, that pain in the neck Kavanagh, if they had just listened instead of trying to grab all their belongings and equipment. Didn't they realize that there was no time for that? Needless to say, it was more than just a mere set back.

That day most of the population of the city was lost. The remaining few escaped via puddle jumper and gate. With no way of knowing where each other were, the expedition members turned to each other for comfort. However, it didn't go unnoticed by anyone that the leader of the expedition was feeling guilty and frustrated for not seeing the Wraith's attack coming. All eyes could see that Elizabeth was scared that she didn't know where the rest of her team was. More importantly where Colonel John Sheppard was.

Ever since they were separated during the evacuation she had been quiet and distant. Rodney and Teyla couldn't even get through to her. Their kind words of comfort and reassurance were far from what they were supposed to be. Elizabeth just couldn't help, but feel responsible for the loss that Atlantis had dealt with. And who could blame her. Rodney and Teyla both just wished that they could help in some way, even if it was just by getting her to smile or laugh. Though they had only been gone for a week, it felt like a lifetime. They would have returned to the city, but Teyla and Rodney both knew that they wouldn't be able to any time soon. They couldn't take the chance that the Wraith would find them again, and they would have no way of staying in Atlantis. They had to find a ZPM first. That was their only hope.

"When do you think she will come out of it?"

"To be honest Teyla," Rodney had no idea. But he had an inkling that there was only one thing in this galaxy that would make Elizabeth Weir smile again, and that one thing was lost somewhere out there just like they were. "The moment we find John, is the moment we will see her smile again."

The sad thing is Teyla knew this to be true. It was the same way that she felt about Ronan. If she could just see him again she would tell him everything. She would tell him that he made her feel something that no one had ever made her feel before. She would look at him and tell Ronan Dex that she was deeply and madly in love with him. Teyla knew that Dr. Weir wasn't sad that she hadn't told Colonel Sheppard about her feelings for him. The team had known for awhile that John and Elizabeth had told each other how they felt. It was that John and she never got to express their feelings to each other in public.

There was always a regulation that kept them from being able to publicly display their love for each other. Teyla still didn't see what was wrong with showing the man or woman that you loved how you felt for them, but she knew that there were many things about the people of Earth that she would never really understand. Like why they find entertainment in watching a black box. She knew that Elizabeth was upset because John and she never got the chance to really start their relationship. Everyone in Atlantis knew that they both liked each other, which was obvious after Dr. Weir practically tackled (or at least that's what Rodney referred their hug to) Colonel Sheppard. Only the people closest to them such as Rodney, Carson, Ronan, and herself knew that it was much deeper than that. They loved each other, plain and simple. Or at least it should have been.

The needed to find a ZPM and fast. In the meantime, all that Teyla could hope was that they would find the Colonel, Ronan, and hopefully the rest of the expedition before they all lost hope, not just Elizabeth.


	2. What Went Wrong?

**Once again, I do not own Stargate Atlantis.**

**Chapter 2: What went wrong?**

It had almost been a month and he was ready to go back home, ready to drink coffee again, ready to eat a turkey sandwich, but most of all, ready to see her again. That is, if she was even alive. He had no idea as to what the answer was to that question. All he knew was that he was frustrated, irritated, humiliated, and everything else that ended in "ated." He knew that it wasn't his fault. What happened couldn't have been predicted by anyone. Actually now that he thought about it, Atlantis's deep space sensors should have picked up the Wraith's presence. The moment the Wraith even came into range, there should have been a big warning signal.

"Why didn't the sensors pick up the Wraith's presence?"

"Did ya, say somethin' lad?"

Lately Carson had been worried about John. He had been so determined these past few weeks to try and find a ZPM. They had started with the planet that they had evacuated to, but that ZPM had been long gone. At least that's what the locals had told them. However, Ronan and John hadn't stopped there. They recruited a team and started exploring a list of planets that were supposed to have ZPMs. The only problem was they weren't sure which ones still had working ZPMs and which ones did not.

"Huh, oh, nothing. Just talking to myself Carson."

"Aye, well, get some sleep John."

"You know me." John couldn't help but not sleep. All he could do lately was think of a way to get back home, and find the rest of his team­ – find Elizabeth. "I was never one to do what I'm told."

"Yes, I of all people know that Colonel."

John wondered what went wrong with the sensors. I guess I can't do anything about that until after we get back to Atlantis. He made a mental note of things to do when they got back to Atlantis. That is, after they found a new ZPM. That's what had been decided before the evacuation. Get new ZPM, and then return to submerged city. At least that's what the plan was before everyone got separated. He just hoped that the other members of the expedition were alive. More importantly, he hoped Elizabeth was alive.

He missed her and everything about her. The way she smells, the way she makes him want to jump for joy, when she looks at him and smiles. Most of all he misses the quality time they would spend together on their balcony after a long days work.

He had to find a ZPM, and he had to find one soon. Not only was he getting restless, but they were running out of resources. Tomorrow he and Ronan would go to the next planet on the list to gather supplies. They were running low on food and water. Maybe the people of this planet would be a little more cooperative than the last.

**What do you think will happen next? Thanks for reading. Sorry that the chapters are so short. Reviews are greatly appreciated. This is my first fanfic. **


	3. Change of Scenery

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis.**

"She needs to come with us this time." Teyla had been arguing with Rodney for the past thirty minutes, trying to convince him that Dr. Weir needed a change of scenery. This would be the perfect opportunity for that. They were going to the local village to acquire food and other supplies. "We can't just let her stay here, and continue to give up hope. You of all people should want to see her happy again. She is like family."

Rodney knew she was right, he just hoped that Elizabeth would agree. The only reason he had been skeptical about inviting Elizabeth was because he didn't think she could handle an excursion. She hadn't been eating and he wasn't sure if she could physically manage the trip. After all the village was at least a half days walk from where they had set up a base camp.

"All right, but you ask her. Last time I tried to talk to her she ignored me." He could still remember the expression on Elizabeth's face after he asked her how she was feeling. She had been upset; he knew that, but the look she gave him. He had only been trying to help. Maybe this little outing would be beneficial to her after all. A little fresh air couldn't hurt. Heck, maybe she would even open up a little more.

"That is fine."

Teyla walked off to where she knew that Dr. Weir would be. She felt it was sort of nice that Dr. Weir had found one place that she could go to, to get away from it all. Teyla knew exactly why Elizabeth had chosen that spot to reside at. It was the closest thing that she had to being somewhere that reminded her of home – that reminded her of the Colonel.

As Teyla stepped out of the heavily forested area, she was immediately greeting with the most beautiful sight that she had seen since being away from home. It never surprised her that her breath was literally taken away, when she came to this place to talk to Dr. Weir. They were lucky that they had even found it. It was by mere chance that Teyla and Elizabeth had stumbled upon it.

_Flash back_

_Elizabeth and Kavanagh had gotten into a huge fight, when they first arrived after the evacuation. Kavanagh, as usual, felt it necessary to tell Dr. Weir that she had yet again been the one to unglue the expedition. If it hadn't been for her emotions the team would still be together. (Why he kept bringing up her emotions, no one knew. Her emotions didn't even have anything to do with what happened.) They might even be at Atlantis still. He decided it was best to even suggest … no, not suggest … tell her that he would be a more suitable leader than she was. In fact, if he had been in command the Wraith's presence would have been detected before they had even been considered a threat. _

_Of course everyone who knew Kavanagh laughed at this statement. He was too caught up in himself; leading an expedition was out of the question. It also caused people to wonder if he had been the cause for the deep space radars malfunction. _

_Could he have possible sabotaged them in the hopes of blaming Dr. Weir for Atlantis's down fall? Was he that selfish that he would do something to jeopardize the expedition? _

_They all agreed on one thing: Elizabeth was the best leader that anyone of them had ever had the chance to serve under. However, even after they had stepped in and told Kavanagh that he was out of his mind, Dr. Weir had still felt that he was somehow right. _

_After the others had broken up the fight, Elizabeth took off running. _

_It didn't matter where she was headed; she just wanted to get away. What if Kavanagh was right and it was her fault that they were in this predicament? What if it was her fault that John could be hurt out there somewhere, or worse dead? She would never be able to forgive herself for that. She pushed through the trees; running as fast as she could to get away._

_She didn't care if everyone thought that she was weak, or had lost it. All she wanted was to get away. How could Kavanagh say those things? She knew had always held a grudge against her, but this. She was so caught up in what happened that she nearly ran into a low hanging branch. Her quick veer tithe left caused her to stumble, when the ground inclined slightly. When she stood up, she noticed she was no longer surrounded by tall trees. Before her lay a crystal clear lake, that was teaming with fish. The water was so clear that she could see the bottom. The slight breeze brushed her curls into her face, as the sound of the water rolling against the shore could be heard. _

_It immediately reminded her of Atlantis, the calming effect the hum of the water had on her. It was her new balcony - her and John's balcony -at least until she returned to Atlantis. Just as she was about to park herself down on the ground, she heard footsteps behind her. _

_Teyla had come to check on her. _

The first thing that Teyla noticed as she walked into the clearing was that Elizabeth was ankle deep in the lake. Her arms wrapped around her as if she were comforting herself. Her shoes and socks had been discarded onto the log that lay by the shoreline.

Teyla slowly walked up to her as not to startle her.

"Dr. Weir?"

No answer. Elizabeth either didn't hear her, or was most certainly ignoring her, just as she did Rodney.

"Dr. Weir, Dr. McKay and I are taking a trip to the village. We are in need of supplies."

Still nothing.

"We would greatly appreciate your presence."

Silence.

"Elizabeth, please," Teyla reached out and placed her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "We are worried about you."

Elizabeth turned around; her eyes were red and puffy. Her tear stained cheeks were a rosy red.

"Please come with us."

"I miss them … I miss him." Elizabeth couldn't take it anymore. She knew that everyone meant well by trying to comfort her. But, she had lost hope a long time ago. She wanted it back, but it hurt so much to know that she may never see John again.

Every time he would go off world she knew that something could happen, but she always had hope. Hope that he would come back every time. Hope that he would be safe when he did. This was different. He wasn't just off on some mission. He was lost just like her. Separated by a freak accident.

This time there was no going home. Not yet anyway, they had to wait. A ZPM was their only hope of ever returning.

"We all miss them. You are not alone. Rodney misses Kate. I miss Colonel Sheppard as well as Ronon. Colonel Sheppard is like a brother to me. And Ronon, well he is more than just a good friend. As much as we want to we can't give up hope. We are here for you; we are here for each Sheppard and the others are probably thinking we are lost as well. There is a very good chance that they are still alive just like us."

At this comment Elizabeth looked up. She had forgotten that not only had she lost someone, but they had all lost someone. She may be hurting, but she was still the leader of this expedition. Teyla was right. She was going to get her team back if it killed her. She couldn't do that sitting here. She had to get up and look for them.

Maybe this trip to the village would help her get her strength back. If food and supplies is what they needed, then they would get food and supplies. After that they would start searching the list of planets that they had for ZPMs. After all a fully powered ZPM was their only hope of ever returning to Atlantis. Only now they didn't have all of the galaxies best technology at their disposal, they only had each other.

"When are we leaving?"

**This chapter was a little longer than the last. Hope that you all enjoyed. I know that I am enjoying writing this story. Again, reviews are greatly appreciated. Oh, and I would like to thank "emergencyfan" for your helpful tip about the spelling of the word "separate." No matter how many times I use that word, I always spell it wrong. Thank you "panddora" and "Kyrah-Lee" for your encouragement. I hope that you all continue to enjoy this story as much as I do.**


	4. A New Sense of Hope

**I realized after I submitted chapter three, I neglected to say what happened to all the puddle jumpers. Well, when Atlantis was evacuating some of them were destroyed. The remaining jumpers that were left are being occupied by the team members that are with Colonel Sheppard's group. The people that are with Dr. Weir are on foot. They are the ones who evacuated through the gate. That is why Teyla, Rodney, and Elizabeth had to walk to the village. I hope that clears up some of the confusion. Sorry if I was unclear.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis.**

The trip to the village had been surprisingly easier than he had thought. The villagers were very welcoming and sympathetic to their needs. They gave them what ever the Colonel and Ronon asked. There were no problems what so ever. That is until one of the villagers decided that he wanted John's jacket in exchange for a fruit that reminded him of apples back on Earth.

At first he was opposed to the idea, but then decided that he could spare his favorite jacket in exchange for food. After all he could always get another jacket, but food … they didn't come by easily.

"I think we're ready to go Ronon."

Ronon didn't respond, he looked as if he was talking to one of the locals, which was highly unusual for Ronon. Ever since John met the lone runner, he had noticed how he was all about getting in and out. Until then Ronon, he trusted no one.

Well, here he comes now. Wonder what they were talking about.

"He says he knows where we can find a ZPM."

"And he just up and told you that, out of no where."

"No, he asked me where we stole a puddle jumper from. I told him that we didn't. He said that stealing it would have been our only option because he only knows of one place that has ancient technology like that, and the people who live there don't easily part with their stuff. I pressed him for more information."

John had to think about that for a moment. If these people were who he thought they were, they could have a ZPM. Where there's ancient technology, there's bound to be a working ZPM.

"Did he give you an address?" Ronon didn't even have to answer. The smirk on his face told John all that he needed to know.

"Well then, let's get going. We won't be able to go today, but we can gather up a team and head out early tomorrow. Right now we need to get back to camp and regroup. Where there's ancient techno babble there is a ZPM, and where there's a ZPM there's a way home."

That was all that it took for Ronon. He wanted to get back to Atlantis as well. It may not have been his home world, but over the past four years Atlantis had become his 'home.' The people in it were his family.

These past years had been more than just recon missions and training. It had been a new life; one that he hoped to start with someone, when they got back.

"I'll get Lorne and Bates."

"I'll go get the jumper started." John picked up the crate of apples. He couldn't believe that they might have found a ZPM. What little hope he had left was just restored. He had a really good feeling about this new gate address that they had acquired. Maybe their luck was finally turning around. He piloted the jumper out of the clearing and went to pick up Ronon and the rest of the team.

Just as Colonel Sheppard piloted the jumper into the event horizon, a group of very familiar people stepped out into the tree line.

"Rodney, will you stop complaining. I would have thought that by now you would've up." Elizabeth and Teyla were both tired of McKay constant complaints about his feet hurting, and how this trip was definitely not worth it no matter how many times they had previously made it.

"What, I can't help it, if after all this time my feet haven't grown accustom to this rugged terrain. Besides what else am I going to do? Praise this place for its constant bitter nights, its blazing heat, and its lack of comfy couches, which by the way seems like a pretty good idea at this point - a comfy couch ready to be plopped on by a weary traveler such as myself.

"Dr. McKay we are almost there. The village is just up ahead; I can see it from here. Look there's the man that we spoke to last week about the fruit you call apples. They are not citrus, am I correct?"

Elizabeth had totally ignored what ever it was that Rodney had said in reply to Teyla's remark. Right now she was focused on what she thought to be impossible.

"Am I the only one who sees that?" Elizabeth said pointing past the town market. Rodney and Teyla both looked, but hadn't the slightest idea as to what she was talking about.

"Dr. Weir can you be more specific. I …" That was all Teyla could get out before Elizabeth took off at a sprint.

She knew that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. She wasn't that far gone. She was almost there. She could just touch it. Elizabeth reached out and grabbed the man's shoulder in front of her.

"John," it was a desperate calling. She was sure it was him. This was his jacket; the one he received after being promoted to Colonel. It had to be him "John, I can't believe …" Then she saw his face. "No." A slight gasp escaped her chapped lips. "I was so sure."

Then she glanced at his shoulder. Sure enough it was John's jacket. There on the left shoulder was the American flag, and on his right the Atlantis badge.

"Where did you get this!" She panicked, if this man had John's jacket, then what had happened to John. "What have you done with him! Where is he!"

That was all that Teyla and Rodney heard as they ran up behind Elizabeth. They had seen her run up to the man that they bought apples from, but they hadn't understood what Elizabeth's intentions were until they saw her grab the man by the collar.

"Dr. Weir, what are you doing? This man's name is Syd. He is the person that we came to buy apples from."

"Teyla please tell me why you didn't apprehend or question this man when you found that he was wearing one of Atlantis's uniform jackets. More importantly, why he's wearing John's jacket!"

Rodney took a closer look, and sure enough Elizabeth was right. He had John's jacket.

"Hey, look look, she's right." Rodney was pointing to the man's chest. "There's John's insignia," Rodney stuttered. "You … you didn't have that two days ago when we came to get apples from you!"

Syd was very confused. As far as he knew he had done nothing wrong, a simple trade for supplies. And what were these apples that this man spoke of?

"Let me go, I have done nothing to violate any law in this region! And what are these apples that you speak of! Let me go!"

"An apple ... oh, right, you don't call them that. They're ... wait. I don't have to explain myself to you!"

Elizabeth loosened her grip, but not enough so that he could get away. She was not going to let this man slip through her fingers. She had never felt so furious in her entire life, and it was fueling her strength. She knew that if she let go now, she would not be able to hold onto him.

Teyla knew that she needed to step in and explain what was going on. Dr. Weir obviously wasn't going to let go any time soon, and Rodney was starting to lose his patients as well.

"You are wearing a jacket that belongs to a dear friend of ours. We have been looking for him for sometime now. We just want to know how you came across it. Please, we mean you no harm. I am sure that once you start answering our questions, and promise not to run away, Dr. Weir will let you go. Won't you Dr. Weir?"

Realizing where Teyla was going with this, Elizabeth decided to release him. After all she didn't know how much longer she could hold him anyways.

As soon as Syd got his bearings, he told them all about the men who came through the stargate, and how what appeared to be their leader traded this jacket for apples. Then he told them that right before they arrived, the men left in a flying machine that he had only seen once before on another planet, and told these men the address.

"They left right before you got here. They were going to the planet that I referred them to."

"Can we have this gate address?" Elizabeth was ecstatic. He had seen John, that meant that he was alive, and well apparently.

Teyla, Rodney, and Elizabeth were all ready to find their expedition members. They never thought that they would come this close. Now their chance was finally here.

The man gave them the address and they headed back to camp with a new sense of hope.

**Thanks again for all the reviews. I'll try and get another chapter up tomorrow, but I have a paper due, so it might be up a day later. Let me know what you all think about what is going on. I am glad that you have all enjoyed it thus far. **


	5. It's Just Decoration

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its characters. Wish I thought them up, but I didn't. **

The trip back to base camp went by much faster than their initial trip to the village. Not only did they have hope that they would see their friends again, they had hope that they would also find a ZPM if they were lucky.

Syd had said the address he had given them led to a planet populated by people who possessed ancient technology, such as: puddle jumpers, life sign detectors, and other such objects.

Once they had gotten back to base camp, practically everyone was sleeping except for a few scientists huddled in front of a fire pit. They knew it was far too late to take a trip to the planet tonight. On top of it being to dark to head back out toward the gate, entering a village that was possible armed didn't seem like a good idea. They would wait until morning to inform everyone what the day's events had uncovered.

Elizabeth wondered off toward her spot. She wished that she could show it to John. The moment she stumbled upon this place she knew that he would have loved it. All those nights they had stayed up late talking on the balcony, going over all the decisions they had made that day, reassuring each other that they had made the right choices.

It was nights like these that made it hard for her to push through. Nights where she was most reminded of his absence.

One thing was certain; when she found John again she wasn't going to just embrace him in a hug as if he had just returned from a suicide mission.

There had been far too many of those moments, too many instances where they had just walked away, not wanting anyone to expect something was going on. That's all that they needed - to give Caldwell an excuse to have John shipped out on the next trip back to Earth. After all these years he had still been after John's position.

All that hiding and worrying was going to stop. None of it seemed to matter anymore.

Tomorrow she would finally tell him everything. There was so much that she had left unsaid as they evacuated. All they got was a quick glance as John forced her through the stargate with the others. She had been a little angry at him for that. She had wanted so badly to stay with him – to make sure that he would get out safely. Instead, he gave her no choice.

He pushed her through the wormhole before she even realized what he was doing.

"You should get some rest," Teyla had snuck up on her. "Tomorrow we will be heading out early in order to catch up with the Colonel and the others.

Something had been on Elizabeth's mind all this time. Something about Teyla and Ronon.

"What will you tell him, Ronon? What will you do, when we see them?"

"I am not sure," To be honest Teyla thought she would have more time to figure that out. She had never expected to find the others so soon. Tomorrow would mark the first month that they had been separated. With Ronon and John in puddle jumpers and them on foot, along with an infinite amount of gate address separating them, Teyla had though it would take much longer to find each other. If it had not been for the Colonel leaving behind his jacket, she knew that they would have never known that the others had even been to this planet. "We both know of how each other feel, but with everything that has happened we never took the time to discuss it." Teyla tried to say that as dignified as possible with out letting on that she was actually afraid of what would happen. After all she and Ronon had both come from a proud people. "We have both lost so much already, what with Ronon losing his entire people, and the wraith's continuous attacks on mine. Things were … difficult. I was afraid." Teyla had not only just admitted her feelings for Ronon to Elizabeth, she admitted defeat. It was odd and yet satisfying to know that she was not alone in how she felt. "I guess you could say that I will be following in your footsteps Dr. Weir."

Elizabeth glanced up at her.

"What does that mean?"

"Dr. Weir, you cannot honestly tell me that when you see the Colonel, you will refrain from expressing how you have felt these past few weeks. I, along with, Ronon, Carson, and Rodney have known for sometime how you both feel for each other."

A little embarrassed Elizabeth turned to face the lake.

"Yes, well it is time that everyone knew. No more hiding, no more secrets – John means a lot to me. He's so much more than just my ranking military officer. There have been so many times when he was the only one that could make me realize that not every loss was my fault. He was my rock. After the evacuation I was afraid that I would never get to live that life – a life with John. That has been my biggest fear. Not that we will never return to Atlantis, but that I would have to live with the regret of never knowing. It's just too bad that something horrible had to happen in order for me to act on my feelings."

They headed out around 0500. Teyla hadn't been kidding when she said they were leaving early. Elizabeth had debriefed the other expedition members on the previous day's events. She told them that Teyla, Rodney, Cadman, and herself would be heading out to regroup with Colonel Sheppard and the rest of the expedition.

She informed them that not only did this mission mean they might be reunited with the rest of the expedition, but that they might have a chance at returning to their slumbering city, if they found a ZPM.

"How do we know that you won't just abandon us after you find your dear Colonel?"

There it was. The one voice that she had been dreading once she finished her little recap. How did she know that he would have something to say?

"As much as I'd love to leave you here, Kavanagh – emphasis on you – I wouldn't dream of leaving the rest of my expedition behind just so I could finally be rid of your annoying voice. It wouldn't be fair to make them suffer for your bad behavior. Now would it?"

That definitely was a question that Kavanagh was suppose to answer. Dr. Elizabeth Weir had just put him in his place.

At her last comment, he stormed off in the other direction, as laughter could be heard all throughout the base camp.

It had been awhile since any of them had heard their expedition leader stand up for herself and take charge.

"I must say, that was quite a display Elizabeth." Rodney was grinning from ear to ear. He always wanted to put Kavanagh in his place. Having Elizabeth be the one to beat him to it seemed so much more gratifying.

"It is good to have you back Dr. Weir."

And that was all the interruption that they encountered before leaving. If they moved fast enough they might make it to the gate by mid-day. Which meant they were that much closer toward finding their team.

This was it. They had left for the gate a little after noon, and here they were. He was a little upset that they had started out so late, but he knew he couldn't blame Carson for wanting to do one last check-up on all personal. After who could blame him after what happened last time.

_Dr. Lindsay had just come back from the local town nearby with news of a spring that was close to where they were camped. He gathered together a group of men to carry back water in buckets for the expedition. He was sure that the Colonel would send praises up his ally for bringing back fresh water. _

_Too bad the consequences proved him wrong._

_Upon their return Carson immediately went into 'doctor mode.' Everyone who had drunk the water was now dealing with more than just upset stomachs. Symptoms that they were having because the water they had drank was filled with bacteria. After that Carson made sure to check-up on anyone who felt ill before leaving. _

Now here they were in the middle of a busy market place, bustling with activity. John decided to leave the jumper cloaked near the gate. If anything went wrong he didn't want the jumper to be found. Not that anything would go wrong. He just thought it better to be safe than sorry.

"Okay," John thought that so far this mission seemed promising. "After all, the worst thing that could happen is that they wouldn't find a ZPM. Other than that things looked good. As he scanned the area he saw that this place looked a lot like every other place or village that he had ever been to. Actually it looked like the least technological advanced place that he had ever been to. How could these people possible possess ancient technology?

"Do you think the guy with the apples was yanking our chain?"

"Colonel, we have barely arrived. Have patience lad."

John just rolled his eyes. They had come so far. He didn't want to go back to the others empty handed.

"Sheppard look." As Ronon pointed toward one if the huts, Carson and John both followed his motion. There hanging from the upper beams of the roof was a ZPM.

"No way. That can't be. It was too easy."

They walked up to the porch of the hut with a glint of humor in their eyes.

"Not everything has to be hard John."

"Carson trust me on this one. Missions that involve ZPMs are never easy."

"Do you think we should just take it?" No one else was making any suggestions, Ronon though the might start.

"Let's see if anyone is home first. I don't want to start off by stealing from them."

"Since when did you grow a conscience? Last time I checked you had no problem taking things that weren't your own."

"Hey I resent that. Besides that was one time, one time. And if I hadn't taken those drones, we wouldn't even have an Atlantis to go back to. Plus they shot at us."

Ronon laughed loudly. He knew that was a sore spot for John.

Carson knocked on the door. A little girl answered.

"Hey lassie, are your parents home?"

She disappeared inside, and a few seconds later a man appeared at the doorway.

"Yes?" He said wearingly. "What do you want?"

"Um yeah, I'm Colonel Sheppard. This hear is Ronon and Beckett. We're new to this part of the galaxy, and …"

Ronon cut in.

"We want your ZPM."

"Hey I thought we agreed I'd handle this."

"Your way takes too long. He doesn't need to know who we are. All he needs to know is we want that." Ronon said as he pointed to the hanging ZPM.

"I'm sorry why do you want our crystal? It is merely a decorative tool among our people. It has no importance."

"Right, well to you it may not, but we, um, we collect them." Wow did that really sound that dumb out loud. It sounded so much better in my head.

Ronon and Carson both glared at John.

"I'm sorry, but that crystal was given to me by a dear friend that past a few weeks back. I can not help you." He attempted to shut the door.

"No wait. Please we really need it. We will give you what ever you want." John was desperate. He needed that ZPM if he ever hoped to see Elizabeth again.

"I'm sorry. I can't help you, but the man up the road owns a cart. I believe he still has three crystals remaining that are up for sale. Good day."

And with that he shut the door in their faces.

"Did he just say three ZPMs?" Carson was just as dumbstruck as any of them

"Three working ZPMz. Do you know what that could do for the city? Atlantis could be run at full power. No more worries of the Wraith."

"Why are we still standing here? I believe he said this cart was just up the street."

"Right." Was all that John needed to say in reply to Ronon's statement. They were going home.

**Review please. What do you think will happen next?**


	6. Finally

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis or its characters. **

**So I was looking over this chapter, and noticed a few errors. Hopefully I fixed them all. Please let me know if I didn't. I also added a few details in between the dialogue toward the end. I think it makes it flow much better. Thanks again to everyone who left reviews. Your help was greatly appreciated. **

Okay so it had taken them longer than they expected to reach the stargate, and travel to the village. But they were there. At least that's what Rodney kept telling them.

"Hey it isn't my fault we stopped so many times. I can't help it. I told you I have sensitive feet. These babies feel every rock and stick that comes into contact with them."

"We know Rodney." Elizabeth and Teyla both said in unison.

"It doesn't matter now. I just hope we didn't miss John and Ronon." That would have been the cherry on top of the cake for Elizabeth. All they needed was to go back telling everyone that they hadn't made it in time.

"Hey wait," Rodney ran to catch up with them. He started walking backwards once he got in front of them so he could see their faces when he talked to them. "So you don't blame me, right? I mean after all …" That was all he could get out before crashing into something hard and from what Elizabeth and Teyla could tell invisible.

"Ow, what they heck was that?" McKay said as he pulled himself together.

Teyla looked around at, well, nothing.

"I am unsure. Perhaps it is a shield of some kind."

"I don't think so. Look if you touch it, it doesn't flicker or anything. Usually you would see it temporarily if you touched it. Besides it feels sort of rough like metal. Teyla, do me a favor and walk along the edge of it and tell me when it stops." Elizabeth had her hands on the unknown object and did the same thing as well, but in the opposite direction.

"You don't think that it could be …"

"I think so Rodney. Did you bring along any equipment that might help us to identify it."

"Hold on a second," He put up his index finger as he rummaged through his bag. "Yes, I knew that this would come in handy."

Rodney scanned the area that Elizabeth had her hands placed on.

"I'm picking up energy readings."

"This is the size of one, and the front and back slant down." Teyla came back to where Elizabeth and Rodney were standing.

"Are we positive this is what we think it is?" Elizabeth had to make sure before she made her finally decision. With nods from both Rodney and Teyla she decided to wait for the owners to return.

Back in the village John, Ronon, and Carson were negotiating with a man named Aaron for three decorative crystals.

Aaron wanted Ronon's stun gun, but obviously they weren't going to give him that.

"Look you are the ones who came to trade with me, not the other way around. Now either you give me that or we don't have a deal."

"Lads, we need those more than our weapons. We can always get more once we return to Atlantis. Besides he doesn't know how to use them." Carson whispered into their ears. He wanted to go home.

" Carson do you still have those crunch bars left?"

"Yes John, but I don't think that this is the right time to start eating lunch."

"Not for me, for him. He doesn't look over seventeen. You never know with kids, he might want the chocolate."

"Aye, I'll give it a try."

Carson took off his pack and got out the last of his stash of crunch bars. How they survived in this heat for so long without melting was beyond him.

He handed them to John.

"Here what if we trade you these instead." John waved them in front of Aaron's face.

"What is it?"

"It's a rare delicacy." Oh crap he's never going to buy this. I really suck at trying to persuade people into doing what I want.

"The ladies love them." Ahh, the amazing Ronon back with another comment.

"This has been proven?

Ronon walked up to the kid and whispered something in his ear.

The look of shock on Aaron's face was worth a million bucks. He ran up to John grabbed the crunch bars and took off.

"Hey. You didn't give us … What did you say to him?"

"I'll tell you later Colonel. Let's get back to the jumper."

It took them a good thirty minutes to even get back to where they thought they had left the jumper. But to there surprise they weren't the only ones in the area.

"Can you make out who that is?" Ronon asked John. From where he was standing there were two women and one man.

"No, you?" John didn't know who these people were. They were probably from the village. Ronon's shake of his head affirmed John's suspicion. Two of the people had a light skin tone, but the third was darker like Ronon. John could make out two females and one male. The male was sitting on the ground picking at the grass. The darker female was standing facing the stargate like a look out. The other woman had shoulder length brown curly hair. It actually reminded him of Elizabeth's hair. Her beautiful curls that accented her face. But his Elizabeth was off somewhere else in the galaxy. That was his next stop – finding her.

She looked around becoming impatient. They had been waiting for so long. She just wanted to find them and get back home. She turned around facing away from the stargate. Oh, great now she was hallucinating. There standing a few meters away was John, Ronon, and Carson. Right like she was going to fall for that again. Her hope of finding John had finally caused her to lose it.

She was staring right at him – the woman with the curly hair.

"It can't be … she's …"

"Colonel, wait we don't know if these people are armed." Carson was just about the run after him when Ronon held him back.

"What are you doing? He could get …"

"It's them."

He was running at her. She couldn't be hallucinating. This was the real thing. Tears started forming, her heart started beating faster.

"Dr. Weir, I do not …" A startled gasp escaped Teyla's lips. There in the distance was John running toward Elizabeth and Elizabeth in turn running toward him.

As they reached each other, they embraced in more than just an ordinary hug. They were never going to let go ever again. They were never going to lose hope again. Fate had somehow brought them together again – John's jacket, the apples, the cloaked puddle jumper, Carson wanting to stay back and do a last minute check up. It had all worked together to ensure that they would be reunited.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again. Liz, there has been so much that I have waned to tell you. I don't …"

She put her finger over his lips.

"Me first," She took a deep breathe. It had been long enough for her to know what she really wanted. She knew it was a cliché, but it really was funny how life had a way of telling you something. "John … I almost lost hope. In fact I did lose hope. I thought that I was never going to see, or talk to you again. Through this whole mess I've come to realize how important you are to me. How important 'us' is to me. No more rules, no more regulations. I don't care anymore. I just want this," She put her right hand on his chest, and looked up into his eyes. "I want us."

"You were always better with words than I was." John said as he wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "I don't want to lose you either. I love you Elizabeth Weir. The only thing I had left after we were separated was hope. I don't want to ever experience that again. I was so afraid that I had lost you for good, but I couldn't give up. Finding you was what drove me."

"I don't even care if we return to Atlantis any more. As long as I'm with you everything is alright." She leaned into him; placing her head into the nook of his neck. "I love you John Sheppard."

John leaned in and kissed her for the first time in a long time.

"As much as I wouldn't mind staying here with you forever and ever, I have something better in mind."

Elizabeth was confused. What was he talking about?

"We found three ZPMs. We can go home."

Elizabeth's face brightened up immediately at these words. Not only did they have one ZPM, they had three. That was enough energy to last them quite a long time.

"Did I tell you that I love you?"

A smile crept onto his face. He grabbed her hand and headed back to the others who were greeting each other with welcome arms. Ronon and Teyla were holding each other just as John and Elizabeth had been doing a few moments before.

"Let's go home." Elizabeth looked up into John's eyes. She was ready to return to her city.

**The End **

**I think that I am done with this story. Sorry if it feels like I left you hanging.I didn't really have any good ideas pertaining to their return. Sorry.Feel free to continue if you like. **


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